The Rose's Thorn
by GenesisOfButterflies
Summary: Elsa shivered under his touch. "Every rose has it's thorn. Sometimes the thorn pushes inside, not out." His voice was silky, his hands were rough and warm. Elsa still has inner demons to battle. ElsaxOC, AnnaxKristoff.
1. Chapter 1

The past two months had been long and busy for Elsa. Now that the gates to the castle were open, news travelled quickly that Arendelle had changed for the better. Prince after prince, princess after princess, diplomat after diplomat, arrived at Elsa's front gate: each of them expecting to see her and renew their ties with the kingdom. After spending so much of her life in seclusion, away from the outside world, it was hard for Elsa to suddenly make the change and be a personable, friendly queen. Luckily, Elsa had Anna to set an example for her, to help her come out of her shell and welcome the kingdom's guests.

Her gloves lay on her vanity, untouched since she was able to thaw her kingdom back to summer. She couldn't find it in herself to throw them away; she held onto them like a child's blanket. What if she were to need them again? In fact, this insecurity plagued her every night before she went to sleep. What if she slipped back? What if she were unable to control it again?

This particular morning, Elsa stared at them for much longer than she usually did. When she finally tore her big blue eyes from them, she swallowed back the lump in her throat. Every day was a new challenge, a new opportunity for her to slip back into her insecurities. She reached up and tucked a piece of her hair back into the bun.

A knock on her door caused her eyes to dart towards it. "Yes," she called, her voice clearing the night away.

"Your Majesty I – "

The butler's voice was cut off by another, more excited knock that made Elsa smile from ear to ear. Anna always had that effect on her. "Elsa, Elsa! Come have breakfast with me and Kristoff!"

Elsa got up from her vanity, all her problems fading away into the back of her mind, and threw open her door. She smiled at Anna, who had grabbed her hand to start towards the kitchens. "Anna, shouldn't you be sleeping still? You know it's before noon, right?"

Anna squinted back at her older sister. "Ha, ha. It's Kristoff's birthday! I was up hours ago, and made him the best breakfast, and I want my sister there with us!"

The breakfast was as eventful as it could be, with Elsa quietly enjoying her sister's and her sister's boyfriend's company, and Anna being her normal, bubbly self. Kristoff was nodding along with Anna's voice, as he piled up his plate with food, eyes wide with excitement. Elsa enjoyed spending time with the two of them; they brought a sense of normalcy to her world. After Anna and Kristoff left, Elsa found her way to the throne room. Today she would be spending her day wishing the princess of... Elsa couldn't remember the kingdom's name, not after spending two months meeting too many new people. Where ever it was, this princess would be leaving today, and after Elsa wished her a safe journey, she would be able to spend the rest of the day in relaxation. Hopefully she could spend some time with Anna tomorrow.

After the princess departed for her kingdom, Elsa let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Taking a seat on her father's throne, she relaxed a little and took in her surroundings. Completely alone, Anna off doing something with Kristoff (Elsa didn't want to know what), she felt a shiver run down her spine. She shook it off, ignoring it, as another servant entered the throne room.

"Your Majesty, there is another prince here to see you," the servant said with a low bow.

Elsa straightened her back, wondering if this would ever end, and nodded back to her servant. "Yes, let him in."

The servant disappeared, and a moment later the guards on the outside of the doors, pushed them open. Elsa stood to accept her guest into her kingdom, as the prince stepped forward into the room. He was tall, very tall, with a heavy body. She could see his strong arms, and soft belly through his thick coat. As he came closer to her, she realized just how much he towered over her. Elsa bit the inside of her cheek to keep her composure, to stop the tremble that wanted to go through her body. When he reached her, he took off his hat revealing curly brown hair, and kneeled before her. At this act of respect, Elsa felt her body relax.

"Your Majesty," he said, with a quiet voice. "I am here to strengthen the bond between our two kingdoms. My name is Prince Erik of the Northern Isles."

Elsa narrowed her eyes at the sound of this, as the Northern Iles were very close to the Southern Isles. However, as a Queen, she was expected to keep face, and to not let her relations with the Southern Isles tear down her relations with the other kingdoms. "I am very pleased to see you here," she said, her voice strong. Erik continued to stay kneeling before her, making Elsa very uneasy and uncomfortable. She cleared her throat. "You may stand."

Erik stood, and Elsa almost regretted it as her neck tilted upwards to meet his. There was a silence; Erik almost waiting for her to give him orders, and Elsa waiting to make polite, unrewarding conversation with yet another prince. When it was clear he was not going to speak first, Elsa took a deep breath. "Your bags will be taken to one of the many guest rooms we have here, and feel free to visit about the city while you're here. Is there anything I can get for you? Would you like to go over the trade agreement, the peace treaty, anything while you're here?"

For the first time, Erik's dark green eyes met Elsa's blue ones, and she froze. Suddenly, it felt like he could see her, see all of her: her insecurities, her powers, her emotions, everything. She blushed, as she felt naked and nervous underneath his stare. Her eyes looked away, her queen-like composure was gone, and she let out a nervous laugh that sounded a lot like Anna's. Even more embarrassed, she shook her head and cleared her throat, hoping Erik hadn't heard that.

"Maybe after I have settled my things, and troubled your staff for a warm drink, you could give me a tour of the city?"

When Elsa braved to look back at him, he was still staring at her. "Um, I'm sure I can find a better tour guide than me to give you a tour."

"If you have the time, I would love one from you." Erik's tone wasn't demanding, or pleading. It was new and different to Elsa.

"Of course," she frowned in confusion. "This afternoon would be fine."

Erik nodded, and bowed deeply. "Of course, Your Majesty. I will see you then."

Elsa watched him as he turned around, and followed her servant down the hallway towards his rooms. Realizing she was staring, she shook her head, and looked around the room to make sure no one was watching her.


	2. Chapter 2

One of Elsa's maids set down a tray of the light lunch Elsa usually took, on her vanity beside the gloves. As the maid quietly closed the door behind her, Elsa took a bite of the cheese, refused to look at her gloves anymore that day. She stared at herself in the mirror; after spending most of her life in this room, it brought her comfort to do something so familiar. Especially after something so unnerving happened this morning.

Elsa tore off a piece of the freshly baked bun, and popped it into her mouth. Although she was good at hiding it, she shared a lot of Anna's carefree mannerisms. Elsa leaned back into her chair, and stared at the goblet of water in front of her. Usually Elsa ate lunch alone (unless an insistent guest was there) and since the deep freeze, she had been practicing controlling her powers. She reached her hand over to the goblet, and frost appeared around it. The water inside was frozen. It stayed there, as Elsa continued with her lunch. She closed her eyes, reached for the goblet, and thought of Anna and their childhood before the incident. Involuntarily, she smiled, and the goblet began to feel warm to her touch. Elsa took a sip of the water, and set the goblet back down. She had to keep doing this, keep practicing, in case her powers became uncontrollable again, and Anna was put at risk.

There was firm, short knock at her door that knocked her out of her reverie. Elsa made her way over and opened the door, taken aback when Erik stood there towering over her.

"Hello, Your Majesty. I was wondering if you had time for that tour now." Erik held up two large mugs. "I asked the kitchen staff for some hot chocolate, and they told me it was your favourite." He moved one mug closer to her.

Elsa instinctively shrank away from the mug, and looked at him confusedly. "Yes, just let me get my cloak."

She shut the door gently, and grabbed her cloak off her partition. What was going on with that prince? He seemed nice, but not as friendly as the other princes had been, nor was he making any uncomfortable advances towards her, as some of the other princes had. She threw her cloak around her shoulders, and clasped it around her neck. It was his size that unnerved her as well; someone that large should not be that odd.

She slipped out of her door, and noticed Erik was looking out of the window across from her bedroom. A smile was hovering over his lips; Elsa moved forward to see what he was smiling at. A few of the town's children were playing just outside of the gates, banging their wooden swords together. Elsa looked back at Erik, only to find him staring at her once more. Her cheeks burned, and she accepted the mug of hot chocolate. He followed her as she led them outside of the castle and into the town, silently.

Elsa began to ramble on about the different facts about the city, showing him different historic sites, the school, the market. She stole glances at him, whenever she was certain he wouldn't notice. It was his presence, she decided. His presence made her nervous, it made her stomach twist and at the same time, her insecurities silent. He caught her looking at him, as he took the empty mug back from her and held it for the rest of the tour. His hands were easily twice the size of her hands; she instinctively shrunk back from his touch. Just because she didn't wear her gloves anymore, didn't mean she wasn't going to be careless.

"Elsa! Elsa!"

Anna burst through the crowd at the market, a happy smile on her beautiful face. Elsa smiled back, and waved her over, causing Anna to slide to a halt before bowling her over.

"Kristoff and I are going to go for a sleigh ride up the North Mountain again, do you wanna come?" She spoke excitedly.

Elsa nodded her head towards Erik, who stood silently and politely beside her. "I can't Anna, we have company."

Anna finally realized a man was standing beside her sister, and straightened her back apologetically. "Whoa..." Anna's eyes widened as she looked him up and down. "Oh, um, Hi! Sorry! I'm Anna, Elsa's sister." She reached her hand out for Erik to take.

Erik bowed deeply again, and politely kissed Anna's hand. "Your Highness."

"This is Prince Erik of the Northern Isles," Elsa interjected.

The name of his kingdom seemed to fly over Anna's head, and Elsa appreciated her sister's non-judgemental attitude. "Nice to meet you Prince Erik!" Anna grinned. She turned back to Elsa. "Okay, well I'll be back in a few hours!"

"Your Majesty, feel free to go with your sister; I'm sure I can find my way back to the castle from here." Erik looked over his shoulder, towards the way they had come from.

Elsa shook her head. "No, no. I can finish our tour. It's Anna's boyfriend's birthday today, let them have some fun by themselves."

Anna gave her sister one last hug, waved at Erik, and took off like the rocket she was back towards Kristoff. Elsa smiled after her, before she turned back to Erik. "Shall we?"

* * *

Before Elsa could lead Erik back to the castle, they passed a group of the townspeople sitting in a half circle, each with an instrument in their hands. A laugh sounded out from the group, and soon a few of them began playing a melody. Elsa and Erik paused to watch the rest of the group slowly join in and create a wonderful song, followed by children twirling and laughing in the beautiful sunshine. Elsa couldn't stop the smile that played on her lips.

"Your Majesty, come dance with us!" One of the musicians grinned at her, and a chorus of agreement rang through the group.

Elsa, out of habit held her hand up in protest, smiling but shaking her head politely. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Erik turn to face her. She turned her full attention on him just in time to see him dip low into another bow, offering her his hand. "Would you like to dance?"

Speechless, Elsa froze. She didn't want to say yes, but something about the situation made her not want to say no. She looked around at everyone watching her, and she swallowed nervously. "Sure," she replied, letting her small hand be engulfed by his.

Erik led her closer to the inside of the half circle the musicians had formed, and gently pulled her closer to him. Other couples followed suit, making Elsa feel more at ease and less in the spotlight. Erik's hand rested gently on her waist, and she could feel warmth radiating from where he was touching her. Her gaze followed up his strong arm, up to his face, where he was looking down at her. His face was rough, not clean shaven, but she found herself liking it all the same. She smiled sheepishly at him, and he gave her a small smile back. She had no idea what he was thinking, but the twists in her stomach were growing tighter and tighter.

The song ended, and as the rest of the couples cheered and clapped, Erik kneeled before her, kissing the back of her hand he had been holding while they were dancing. He thanked her, and once again, Elsa felt naked before him. Taking in a sharp breath, she turned away, and clapped at the musicians with the rest of the crowd. She could hear Erik clap beside her, and she could feel his gaze on her cheek.

* * *

Something had changed in Erik after the dance. He followed Elsa more closely, as she led them back to the castle, and through the gates. When they walked through the doors, he held it open for her, and Elsa swore she could feel his hand brush her back as she walked past him. When the door shut behind them, she turned on her heel to face him. Erik showed no expression on his face, just the same stare that seemed to look into her soul.

"What are you doing?" She asked, cocking her head.

"Following you, Your Majesty," he answered. "Would you like to join me in having something small to eat?"

"Elsa," she replied, ignoring his question. He didn't move. "Call me Elsa. I have a name, and if you 're going to keep looking at me like that, then you might as well call me by my name."

"I'm sorry? Do you not like how I look at you?"

"I never said that!" Her reply shocked her; now that she thought about it, maybe she did enjoy how he looked at her? She sighed. "No, I just meant, you know..." she trailed off, and she could tell he had no idea what she was talking about. "Never mind." Elsa turned back around and began walking towards the kitchens.

"I apologize if I've made you unhappy or uncomfortable... Elsa." The way he spoke her name made her stop. She turned around to face him as he continued. "You just... fascinate me." It was the most he had said to her all day, and it made her heart thump. What was going on?

Elsa straightened her back, and relaxed her face. "I beg your pardon?"

Erik took a step closer. "This. Your... mask. I can see glimpses of you behind it, and it makes me want to know more."

Elsa's face dropped, and her eyes widened. At her reaction, she watched as Erik scrambled to apologize. "I apologize if I have over stepped, Your Majesty."

There was a silence between them, as she stared, shocked at him, while he sheepishly looked back at her. Elsa couldn't move, all she could feel was her heart pounding in her throat. Erik was so close to her, closer than anyone other than Anna had been to her since the death of their parents. Elsa shook her head, trying to gain her composure back. She couldn't feel this strongly, she could hurt someone again. Looking up at Erik, who was still gazing down at her with something, some sort of softness in his green eyes, she took a step back. "You should stay away, something bad could happen," she couldn't stop the words as they left her lips.

Erik cocked his head to the side, and frowned a little. He stepped forward with her, replying softly, "Why would it be bad?"

Elsa felt her heart in her throat again, as he took her hand in his. She stared at their hands, his large thumb rubbing the back of her hand comfortingly. She gazed back up at him, and she could feel a stillness in herself as she tilted her chin up towards him. Her pounding heart steadied, and her breath became the only thing she could hear. He leaned forward, and paused. For the second time in her life, Elsa let everything go, and closed her eyes.

As soon as her eyes closed, Erik kissed her, and her whole body was instantly on fire. She couldn't move, she didn't want to; she didn't want the moment to end. His fingers laced through hers, and his other hand brushed her cheek; she leaned her head into his hand.

The door the castle opened with a loud, long squeak, and Elsa sprung back away from Erik, just as Anna's voice carried through the room. "Yes, this is all MY fault."

Elsa blushed, as Erik met her eyes, and she struggled to compose herself once more. Anna and Kristoff both walked through the open door, and Kristoff closed it with a thud behind him. "Yes, I told you to be careful, and jumping from the sleigh when it's moving is not being careful," Kristoff replied, his tone laced with sass.

Anna rolled her eyes at him, and saw Elsa standing with Erik. "Hey Elsa!" As Anna made her way towards Elsa, she favoured her left foot more than the right.

Elsa frowned. "Anna, are you alright? What happened?"

"Kristoff was driving recklessly-"

"Not even close!" Kristoff interrupted Anna, and received a glare for doing so from her. He turned towards Elsa, "Anna decided to be spontaneous and jump out of the sleigh while it was moving. She hurt her ankle."

"Okay, I definitely thought it would be like last time, landing on a pillow!"

"It's a trail, it's packed snow, it's not fluffy, never-been-touched snow, why would it be like a pillow?"

"Okay, okay," Elsa interjected before the two could carry on. "Just, give me that." Elsa took a cloth hanging from Kristoff's pants, and twirled her hands. Beautiful ice appeared in the cloth, before Elsa wrapped the rest of the cloth around it, and gave it to Anna. "Keep that on your ankle, go to the kitchens and stay there until I come get you."

"Here," Anna said, as she passed the ice to Kristoff and started limping away. "You can put it on my ankle since this is all your fault anyway." Kristoff took the ice, rolled his eyes and followed her towards the kitchens dutifully.

Elsa watched them walk away, still a smile on her face. Behind her, Erik cleared his throat, and she turned around, startled. He sheepishly pointed down at his feet, and her face was horror stricken when she realized what had happened: Erik's feet were covered in a thick sheet of ice, stopping him from moving.


	3. Chapter 3

"I am so sorry," Elsa apologized, again, as she knelt down before him, trying to thaw the ice around his feet. With her emotions so rampant through her, insecurity, self-loathing, and helplessness, she couldn't focus on the one emotion she needed to feel to thaw Erik's feet. Elsa kept wringing her hands, and placing them on the ice, only to fail and wring her hands again.

Finally, Erik's hands reached down and covered hers, just as the first tear fell from her eye. She stopped moving, but refused to look him in the eye, out of fear of what she might find there. "It's alright, Elsa." Her name came out of his mouth as smooth as chocolate, and she could feel her blood slowing down.

When her breathing slowed down, and she felt more in control, her eyes met his. He smiled at her, and she shook her head. "No, it's not okay, I can't thaw this ice!"

"How do you normally thaw the ice?"

Elsa's eyes darted away from his. "Love will melt a frozen heart," she repeated softly.

"Okay, well let's focus," Erik said. Elsa looked up at him, and he gave her a smile.

"Why are you not surprised about this magic?" Elsa asked, confused.

"My father enjoys gossiping with Weasletown," Erik replied. Elsa narrowed her eyes, and her mouth stiffened. Erik noticed. "Just focus on what you usually focus on when you're thawing something."

Elsa turned her attentions back towards the thick ice covering and surrounding Erik's feet. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Memories of building Olaf with Anna came into her mind, causing her to smile again. She let the warmth of her love for Anna pulse through her veins, and soon, Erik was free.

Erik offered his hand to Elsa as she stood, but she avoided it. Standing straight, she refused to meet his gaze as a silence over took them. Everything that had happened before Anna and Kristoff came tearing in suddenly hit Elsa. His kiss, her first kiss, it was sudden and oh so inappropriate for a queen to be doing where anyone could catch them. Her stomach was a knot of nerves again.

"I'd better go check on Anna," she said, tucking a hair behind her ear. She was torn between wanting Erik to follow her and wanting him to go away.

"I should leave you to her," Erik replied. He hesitated before he turned around and walked away.

Elsa watched him walk away, and out of the doorway that lead to his rooms. Everything she had been told her whole life was screaming in her mind; don't feel, don't let him in, don't let him too close. Here she was, however, and he was fine, she was fine, the world hadn't come crashing down around her. _It could have been a lot worse_, her mind told her, and she tried to shake the thoughts out of her head. She was lucky that she didn't have to deal with Erik being frozen solid, like Anna had almost been two months ago.

Elsa spent the rest of the afternoon watching over Anna with Kristoff, trying to convince herself she was worried about Anna and not avoiding Erik. It mostly consisted of forcing Anna into her bed and keeping here there, while watching Anna and Kristoff argue and flirt. It was sweet, but after Erik's kiss she found herself jealous of her carefree sister. She was able to move on and have a functioning relationship with a man, while Elsa was stuck barely making her relationship to her own sister, work.

They were called for dinner, and Elsa agreed to Kristoff joining them. Having him there would make Anna less aware of the potential tension between Elsa and Erik. The three of them waited patiently at the table, until Erik appeared, and took his place across from Kristoff, leaving an empty chair between Elsa and himself. He nodded a greeting to Elsa, as the food came out and they began to eat.

The plan worked, because Elsa could feel the tension between her and Erik, the awkward silence at the table, but Anna was completely oblivious. Kristoff was too wrapped up in what Anna was saying to notice the stolen glances at each other, and how Elsa's eyes would dart away back to her food after Erik caught her looking at him.

"Well, I had better go. Sven and Olaf are waiting for me outside." Kristoff stood and was really only speaking to Anna, as he smiled at her.

Anna smiled up at him, and Elsa stood with her sister. Erik followed suit; Elsa was beginning to think he wanted to talk to her, as he followed the three of them out to the front doors. Anna gave Kristoff a quick kiss on the cheek, and Elsa gave him a regal nod, as did Erik. After Kristoff disappeared beyond the gates, Anna turned to Elsa.

"Will you walk me up to my room? My ankle is killing me."

Elsa cocked her eyebrow. "Hopefully that will make you be more careful next time," and even as the words left her mouth, she knew it would never happen.

As Anna went on to tell her side of the story, now that Kristoff wasn't there to defend himself, Elsa wrapped her arm around Anna's waist and felt her sister lean into her. Hobbling along, Elsa glanced back over her shoulder at Erik. He gave her a sad smile as she walked away, and Elsa felt her heart grow heavy.

* * *

When she was alone in her room, lying in her bed and staring out her window into the stars, their kiss came into her mind. She felt her stomach twisting again, and she licked her lips. Even though she wanted more, Elsa knew she couldn't: doing so would risk Erik's life. Romance in her life was something she had to ignore, because her powers weren't as under control as she wanted them to be. She would probably never be confident enough in her self control for romance. Just a kiss had sent her into freezing Erik's feet and she hadn't even noticed.

There was a gentle knock on her door, and Elsa rolled over on her side to stare at it. Who would be bothering her at this late of an hour? A second gentle knock at her convinced it was Anna, although why she wasn't whispering under the door or into the key hole, Elsa didn't know. She swung her feet over the bed, and on her way to the door, she slipped into her night gown and tied it firmly around her waist. Poking her head out of the door, she was startled to find Erik looking back at her.

"What are you doing? This is inappropriate, what if someone sees you?" She asked, her eyes darting around the deserted hallway. She pulled the door closer to her neck so he could see less.

Erik's face was expressionless; it was like he never heard her. "I have to apologize for myself Your Majesty-"

"I told you to call me Elsa," she corrected, without thinking.

"...Elsa." Her name still sounded perfect in his voice. "I'm sorry for how today happened. I'm not sorry for what happened, I'm just sorry it wasn't the perfect moment."

Elsa pulled her head back from leaning out of the door. "Pardon?" There was a rustling sound from the end of the hallway, and she panicked. "Just get in here," she grabbed his arm and he let her pull him into her room. She realized as she quickly shut the door, that her first reaction was to bring him inside, not shut him out. She turned around and leaned against the door. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to get to know you. I want to know everything about you."Elsa looked down at the floor; it was unnerving to have someone want to know that much about you. "You're intelligent," her cheeks burned, "you're an amazing Queen, and you're beautiful. There's something in my soul that is drawing me to you."

Elsa looked up and was surprised to see how much closer he was to her. Her neck strained up to meet his eyes.

"I'm not usually this... outright with my feelings. I usually let others do the talking for me. But this is so important; I feel so strongly about this, I had to say something." Erik looked and sounded nervous as he gazed into her eyes.

She bit her lip, not sure what to say. "Erik... I can't." She swallowed back her feelings, like she had done so many times before, and forced all emotion from her face. "I need you to leave my bedroom."

Erik didn't move, and didn't take his eyes away from her. "That mask," his voice was soft, "you'll have to put it away sometime." He leaned forward, his face coming down closer to Elsa's. She held her breath.

The door clicked open behind her, just as he placed a kiss on her cheek. He slipped around her, brushing her shoulder as he passed, and shut the door behind him with another click. Elsa slid back into her bed, robe still on, and buried her face into her pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

Sunlight warmed Elsa's cheek, waking her up from her troubled sleep. Her eyes fluttered open, and she let out an ungraceful yawn, and sat up in her bed. Noting her robe was still on, Elsa sighed as she remembered the night before. As she changed out of her robe and nightgown, she planned her conversation with Erik this morning, how she was going to probe him to see how long he was going to say at Arendelle. Hopefully, for her sanity's sake, he wouldn't be staying long. She secured her long braid over her shoulder, but stopped herself from pulling it back into her customary bun. Smiling into the mirror, she decided to leave her braid down for the day.

Usually Elsa ate breakfast alone at the table, as Anna, like most of Elsa's usual guests, didn't wake up as early as Elsa did. Her breakfast was just set down in front of her, when Erik walked through the doorway. It surprised Elsa, and she quickly averted her eyes down towards her oatmeal. Erik sat down, again leaving a spot between himself and Elsa, who sat at the head of the table. There was a silence, as Erik was given his own breakfast.

"I was thinking we could go over the trade agreements this afternoon," Erik said, breaking the silence.

Elsa paused, taking note of his change in tone, before meeting his gaze and nodding politely. "Of course." She thought she would be happy with Erik's more regal, polite tone, but she missed his warmth. She wondered if he meant anything he said last night.

The rest of breakfast was silent, and Elsa couldn't help but feel uneasy about it. As she watched Erik silently finish his meal, she wished she could feel that calm and relaxed. She hardly finished her meal, suddenly losing her appetite. Pushing her bowl away, she stood from the table and began to make her way to the library, where all of the records were kept. She was very aware of Erik catching up with her; she could hear his footsteps behind her, and for some reason her body reacted to his presence.

Before Elsa could push the doors open, Erik stepped in her way and opened it for her, gesturing for her to go in first. Her blue eyes were glued to him until she fully passed him, not sure what he was doing. This attention was completely foreign to her, even if he was just being friendly, as she had forced herself into fearful isolation her entire life. She walked through the aisles, making their way to the Northern Isles records. After pulling a few papers off one of the shelves, Elsa sat down at a desk at the end the aisle, and Erik joined her.

Erik began to read over the agreements, and Elsa immediately knew he had no interest in changing anything. He was simply reading them aloud. Relaxing in her chair, Elsa listened to his deep, scratchy voice. It felt soothing to her; and she stopped herself from thinking that she could probably listen to him forever. She watched his lips move, remembering how they felt on hers, and his hands, as they turned over the pages. His hands were rough, calloused, yet she liked how they felt when he held hers.

"Why are we here?" Elsa asked, breaking her silence. She startled Erik as well as herself.

He looked up from the papers. "I wanted an excuse to spend time with you." His honest answer threw Elsa off balance.

She paused, and couldn't find her voice. She wanted to tell him that she wanted to spend time with him too, but how could she? She knew she wouldn't be able to spend as much time as she wanted with him, which if she was honest with herself, was all of her time. She straightened her back, trying to find her wall again. "I told you last night, nothing can happen between us," she repeated, but realized she was repeating it more for herself than for him.

"I know," Erik sighed. He stood up and moved closer; Elsa stood as well, preparing to back away. "And I tried at breakfast to ignore how I feel, and I realize that I only tried for less than an hour, but I can't help it." He stepped forward, but Elsa didn't move back although her mind was screaming for her to. Erik took her hand in his, and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. She stared at it. "Tell me you don't feel anything; tell me you didn't feel anything in that kiss." Elsa said nothing. "What are you so scared of?"

Elsa's eyes stayed glued to their hands. How could her hands feel so right in his? How was she supposed to trust this feeling, when she couldn't trust herself? "What if I hurt you?" she whispered, finally. It took all her courage to look up into Erik's eyes, but when she did, she could feel comfort radiating from him. "I hurt my sister when we were younger; I almost lost her completely only two months ago. I can't risk getting close to anyone, and falling..." her voice broke, but as Erik gave her a small smile, she could finish: "-falling in love will only make me lose more control. I can't risk that."

Erik paused before answering her. "You're your own worst enemy," he replied, softly. Elsa frowned at his statement. "You can't lock your heart up forever, lock your feelings away. It will only be worse in the end."

She shook her head, and he cupped her cheek with his hand to stop her. A tear rolled down her cheek, but before he could wipe it away, she took a step back and wiped it away herself. She let out a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry, how inappropriate of me, I've only just met you." She cleared her throat. Again, she realized that statement was more to remind her heart, rather than for Erik's benefit.

Not looking away from her, Erik replied, "I know. But I feel as though we've known each other a lot longer, don't you?"

Elsa suddenly found herself wanting to be in Erik's arms. She wanted to know how it would feel to have those strong arms wrapped around her, feel him pull her closely into his soft belly. Have his chin rest on her head, her face buried in his chest. She tried to swallow back those feelings. When she finally met his eyes, he smiled at her again, and when he moved forward, she couldn't find it in herself to stop him.

He pulled her close, and soon his lips were on hers. As soon as they were, Elsa felt all her insecurities fade away. Feeling a little bold, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down towards her. She let him lead the way, as he deepened the kiss, and she felt warmth bubble from her core. His tongue flicked her lips, and she let him open them.

When they broke for air, Elsa's control was gone, and she wanted more. But Erik's eyes were looking over Elsa's head, and his cheeks were beginning to blush. Elsa turned around his arms to see Anna standing at the end of the next aisle over, her eyes wide and a cheeky grin starting to spread across her lips.

Elsa jumped away, and Erik began to mumble incoherently. "I – um –"

"Anna," Elsa could feel her cheeks begin to burn, as she moved a little farther away from Erik. "What are you doing here?"

Anna's grin was fully grown now. "I was just, you know, getting a book." She held her book up as evidence. "That's usually what people come here for. Or at least, what I come here for."

"How long have you been standing there?" Elsa asked, her eyes flicking over to Erik, who still hadn't found his voice.

"Long enough," Anna replied. If her grin could get any bigger, it did.

Elsa suddenly wanted to throttle Anna, who was clearly not going to let this go.

Erik found his voice. "I should get going, I'll see you at lunch," he moved towards Elsa, as if to kiss her cheek, but as his eyes fell on Anna, he thought better of it. He left quickly.

Elsa watched him leave, and when she heard the door shut, Anna was immediately on top of her. "PRINCE ERIK?" She practically squealed. "Elsa, I am so happy for you! He's definitely not my type, but something that could see, I mean, you two are both the strong, silent type and –"

"Anna, calm down." Elsa cut her sister off. Anna's eyes sparkled as she stopped speaking. "I don't... I don't even know what's going on right now; I've only just met him."

"Elsa, you can't be alone forever... unless that's totally what you want. But I mean, that didn't really look like you wanted to be alone," Anna giggled.

"I don't know what I want." Elsa sank into one of the chairs at the desk. Anna sank into the one next to it. "This curse... these powers, I still don't have full control over them. I don't have enough control over it to trust myself with letting all of my emotions go."

"But you did a few months ago..." Anna grabbed Elsa's hand and held it into both of her hands.

Elsa gave Anna a weak smile. "And that almost got you killed."

"But you know how to thaw things now! If we get an eternal winter again, you can just thaw it out!"

"I don't want to constantly be freezing things and thawing things, Anna. What if I accidentally freeze something that can't be thawed? Break something that can't be fixed?" Elsa took a deep breath, and sighed.

Anna's grin disappeared, and she touched Elsa's elbow. Elsa met Anna's eyes. "Elsa... I just want you to be happy. You can't be happy if you don't give yourself a chance, and if you don't love yourself first. If you have even the slightest feeling that Prince Erik could give you what Kristoff gives me... I need you to give yourself a chance to make it work. He could surprise you, and you could surprise yourself."

Elsa smiled weakly again at her baby sister. "I think I just need to be alone for a little while."

Anna nodded, and stood. "I love you, Elsa. Don't be so hard on yourself."


	5. Chapter 5

The sound of the door shutting behind Anna echoed through the library. Elsa fingered her hair at the end of her braid as she leaned back in her chair. _Be the good girl you always have to be_ echoed through her mind. A good Queen wouldn't have let her little sister catch her kissing someone. Her cheeks blushed, remembering how she had responded, pulling him closer to her and deepening the kiss. It had felt good, it had felt right, to be in his arms like that. And, she thought, with a small smile, nothing had frozen.

The door opened and shut softly again, and Elsa leaned forward in her chair to look down the aisle. Erik was walking towards her; Elsa could still see the blush on his cheek through his scruff. She stood, smiling bashfully.

"I... I'm really sorry that Princess Anna saw that, I can imagine that would embarrass you," Erik said, stopping just short of Elsa.

"She's only a little sister to me when it comes to maturity. She knows so much more than me about life," Elsa spoke before she could stop herself. More and more she found herself speaking her mind around Erik, and she wasn't sure if it was safe to do so.

"What do you mean?" Erik tilted his head to the side curiously.

Elsa swallowed. Erik was standing here, so tall above her, yet his demeanour and posture made her feel stronger than she usually did around others. She eyed him up and down, like an abandoned kitten wondering to trust the hand offering food. It felt like one step forward, two steps back – she had just had this man's lips on hers, voluntarily, yet she couldn't find it in herself to tell him about her childhood?

Erik noticed the hesitation. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to."

"I do." Her own voice startled her. "I mean. I want to. I've just never spoke to anyone about myself like this... ever." Her hands folded down in front of her.

"It's okay, we can talk about something else. We can talk about anything – have I told you about my little sister's horse? He-"

"- My childhood wasn't particularly awful. My parents loved me; Anna loved me, but..." Elsa blurted out. Her eyes darted back down to her hands. Erik took a seat as she continued. "There was an accident. We didn't even think that anything was wrong with my magic; it had never hurt anyone or caused any harm. Until one morning, Anna and I were playing in one of the spare rooms with some snow and ice I had created. She was jumping higher and higher onto the snow piles I was making, and finally I couldn't keep up with how fast she was going, and I slipped on the ice. I hit her in the head with a blast of magic, and it... it hit her head." Elsa took in a deep breath, and shook her head. "Everything turned out fine, except for that strip of white hair Anna still has. But from then on, I was terrified. My parents had no idea how to help me, they didn't know anything. They did what they thought was best – kept me away from the town until I could properly control it."

"They locked you up?" Erik asked, frowning.

"No, I was just secluded, my parents didn't want the townspeople to hate or fear me. I wanted it too; it was my decision to stay away from Anna. My father, I was closest with him, he took care of me. He gave me the gloves to try and conceal the magic; he made the connection between the magic and my emotions. I didn't realize until two months ago how to undo whatever I was doing, and how my fear was making my magic unpredictable." Elsa gave a small, one-sided smile. "But I did spend most of my life away from people, reading and learning about my kingdom and how to behave like a queen."

There was a silence between the two. Elsa finally looked Erik in the eye, and he gave her a smile. "I'm sorry you're so scared of yourself. You shouldn't be; you're wonderful."

Elsa had never blushed so much in front of another person before. Her eyes darted away from his. "Thank you, Erik." His name felt good to say aloud.

"I want to stay longer," Erik blurted out. His cheeks reddened behind his scruff.

"Why? Is there more you need to do here?"

"I want to see more of you. I want to... I want to spend more time with you," He admitted.

The old emotions the resurfaced while she explained her childhood to Erik, clouded her judgement. "I don't think that's a good idea." _Two steps back,_ she thought to herself. She knew she was doing, but she couldn't stop herself.

"Why not?" Erik asked, leaning closer to her. He was genuinely concerned, she could see it his eyes.

"Because I said so," Elsa stood from her chair, and began to walk away from him.

Erik followed her down the aisle of books. "Elsa, you can't mean that. You can't tell me you don't feel this too, please don't tell me you don't."

Elsa spun around to say something, but took a step back when she realized how close Erik was to her. She shook her head to try and clear it. "You can't even imagine. Anna thought she could trust someone, someone who used to her try and take our kingdom from us, someone who tried to kill us both. I can't even trust myself, never mind other people."

"You aren't even giving me a chance, Elsa. I just want one chance." Erik moved closer to her.

Elsa shook her head again, taking another step back. "No, one chance could get someone killed around me."

"I just want to-"

"Just want to what?" Elsa cut him off, and moved closer. Erik took a step back this time, his eyes wide. "Just want to fix this? Tell me, _Prince Erik_, how are you going to fix me? How are you going to come up with something that I haven't already tried?" Her hands gestured outwards, and ice formed on the books around them. Elsa's eyes darted from one side of the now frozen aisle to the next, after realizing that Erik was fine.

Erik took a step closer to her, and straightened his back. Elsa's eyes were filled with tears, as she frowned at him moving closer to her. "I'm not going to fix it. I don't think I can fix it. You're the only one who can fix the way you see yourself." Erik paused, and stepped closer to her still. Elsa didn't move. His hand moved up to her cheek, and gently touched it. "I just want to be there."

Elsa tilted her head into Erik's hand. "To be there for what?"

"To remind you of all the wonderful things you are: a caring sister, a magnificent queen, loyal, strong, brave-"

"I am not brave, or strong." Elsa laughed nervously. She turned her head away from his hand, and looked down.

"I think it's brave of you to be so open to someone you've just met." Elsa looked up to see him smiling at her. She couldn't help but give him a small smile back. "I think it takes strength to take over a kingdom, when you're fighting yourself."

Elsa locked eyes with Erik, and accepted the compliment. She was blushing again, the tears had disappeared, and she was smiling, however nervously. Erik leaned down, and kissed her. Without hesitating, Elsa kissed him back, completely letting go.

When Erik pulled back, he glanced around the aisle, and smiled at her. "The ice is gone," he grinned.

Elsa's mouth fell open slightly, as she realized that her ice melted away completely, and the books stood there as if they had never been touched. "I... I can't believe that happened."

"Do you want to get some lunch?" Erik asked, not taking his eyes off her.

"Okay," Elsa said, her voice airy and full of amazement. Her eyes were still scanning for the ice.

Erik hesitated, then reached down and gently took hold of Elsa's hand. Elsa looked down, and after shifting her hand comfortably in his, her eyes followed his arm up to his eyes. They smiled.

* * *

At the table, with a large plate of cheese and bread between them, Elsa and Erik sat beside each other. Elsa, for the first time in forever, threw her head back in laughter, with her arms wrapped around her sides. Erik was animatedly telling Elsa about his first time riding a horse. She couldn't remember laughing this hard since she was little, playing in the snow with Anna.

"You're beautiful."

Elsa cut her laugh short, and looked over at Erik. With a lazy smile on his face, his eyes sparkled back at her. She smiled back at him. "Thank you."

"Tell me about Anna," Erik said, taking a drink of water from the goblet next to him.

Elsa chuckled. "Anna is... Anna. She's precious, she sees the good in everyone, she follows her heart, she... I just love her so much."

"That's lovely," Erik grinned. "My sister is still mad at me for ruining her first date with some prince from somewhere," he flicked his hand upwards to show how little he cared.

"What happened?"

"I wasn't fond of him, so when he suggested they went on a walk down to a lake near by our castle, my friend and I followed them there. We just happened to have the same plans that whole day," Erik laughed.

"Oh really? Anna wasn't too impressed with me either when I told her she couldn't marry a man she had just met," Elsa smiled back at him.

"Oh yes, the infamous Hans." Erik shook his head. "I hear his brothers have kicked him out of the family."

"I wouldn't know," Elsa said, her face suddenly emotionless, and regal. "I haven't spoken to anyone from the Southern Isles since."

Erik nodded. "And so you shouldn't." There was a pause in the conversation, as Elsa fingered the tip of her goblet. "Elsa, you..."

Elsa looked up at him, curiously.

"I've never been like this with anyone else." He stated, flatly. Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion, and he quickly continued. "I mean, I've never spoken this much to anyone, I've never felt more confident in myself or my feelings than I do with you. You're bringing out this side of me... I want to be the best, the best for you. And I just want you to feel how you make me feel."

Elsa smiled. "Do you want a tour of the castle?" She said, standing up. She extended her hand out to him. She had never been more impressed with herself than that moment, as Erik took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I would love that."


End file.
